Author's Note: Thank you to my reviewers. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. To those of you who said the truce of sorts between Seth and Summer was fast or wouldn't last long, all I can say is, interesting point. This may be the last update for a while, as it's the end of the semester and I have three papers to write (one of which is 30 pages long!), so I may not update very frequently. Just hope you guys understand. And yes, before you guys really start to wonder even more, I do know what I'm doing with this story.

Things had been going so well before everything crashed down around her ears. She had Seth at ease. They had not been talking about anything serious, at least not often; she resolutely avoided anything that might make him nervous, scared, angry, or remind him of the past. She kept it light, she flirted as well as she had ever flirted before, she made sure he felt safe. She knew they needed to have a long, in-depth conversation about things eventually, but she also knew that they needed to develop some kind of comfortable rapport between them first. If they had the talk too early, it could put him off the idea entirely. Too late, and he'd begin to wonder if she wanted to discuss it at all. She needed to find the right opportunity, but at the moment, she was more concerned about being there for him, and helping him slowly ease into things.

They were sitting next to each other on the couch. They had been talking for at least an hour. She was doing her best to keep her hands to herself, but it was more difficult than she thought it would be, and she found herself constantly touching his arm and his thigh. He didn't seem to mind, he was even frequently smiling. He didn't laugh much, and he was still tense around her, but she was pleased with how things were going. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

And then it happened. The doorbell rang and she was there, the last person on the entire planet that she wanted to see. The one person who could ruin everything for her and destroy all the progress she was making. Anna fucking Stern.

It was like a scene out of some ridiculous romantic comedy. The reuniting of two long separated lovers, overcome at the sight of each other after so long. Seth scrambled to his feet, obviously surprised but still with a big smile on his face, and he practically ran to envelop Anna in the kind of hug that made her insanely jealous. It was like he forgot she was even there.

Anna squealed in excitement, she laughed, she grinned, and she hugged Seth as tightly as he hugged her. Seth even managed to lift her off the ground a bit. Summer was absolutely disgusted. She felt sick to her stomach. Seth hadn't looked at her like that since they'd dated. The excitement and happiness that was apparent on his face was like a knife digging into her slowly and then twisting. When he looked at her now, she saw some emotion she might call love, it was buried deep under his anger and hurt and fear, but it was still there. But it was buried, and on the surface, it was easier to see desire and need in his eyes than affection. He looked at her like he wanted to sleep with her, with the possible implication of something more, and she had been okay with that because she saw it as a path to something greater and deeper. He always had that particular look in his eyes; it was a testament to his unceasing desire for her. Even after all this time, his attraction had not waned, and that had made her happy. If he still wanted her, then she'd eventually win out. But it was too early to expect any more real feelings than the intense attraction that had always been a key part of their relationship. Certainly not any that could be declared openly or that she could read in his always expressive eyes. However, seeing the way he looked at Anna, like he wanted to love her and tell her all his problems, that he wanted to open up to her and share his emotions, that he felt safe and happy with her, made her realize that she was only fooling herself. Who cares if he wanted to fuck her? He could have that and so much more with Anna. She felt dirty and useless and already replaced. Anna was here, what did he need her for?

Marissa appeared over her shoulder. "Who's at the – oh, it's Anna."

Summer craned her head to look up at her towering friend. There was a slight smile on her face as she watched Seth and Anna interact. Summer began to get angry. This wasn't fair. Even her best friend seemed happy Anna was here. This was not fair. She had been so close, she knew it, but now Anna was here interfering in everything. All she had needed was a few more days.

Angrily, she stood up and latched onto Marissa's arm. She began pulling Marissa toward the kitchen, away from the nauseatingly happy couple. "What the fuck is she even doing here?" Summer seethed the words as she dragged Marissa.

Marissa extracted her arm from Summer's crushing grip and looked at her scornfully, moving her arm in circles to get some feeling back. "I don't know, Sum, maybe because she's Seth's best friend?"

"Best friends my ass. Did you see the way he looked at her? The way she held onto him?" Summer scoffed and shook her head.

"Yes and did you think it might have to do with the fact that they haven't seen each other in years? Just relax, Sum. She's his friend, that's all."

Relax? Bullshit. How was she supposed to relax when that damn blonde haired pixie was getting in her way again? She still blamed Anna for planting that seed of doubt in her mind all those years ago about Seth's dedication to their relationship. If Seth had wanted her so bad and for so long then why had he dated the stupid bitch from Pittsburg first? She probably would have never thought he'd leave her or get bored of her if he hadn't been so interested in someone who was so different from herself. That had always bugged her more than she liked to admit.

It wasn't that she didn't like Anna, she just hated everything Anna was more, which was the perfect match for Seth. There had been that brief period after the Thanksgiving debacle where they had come to a kind of friendly understanding. Then there had been a glimmer of potential friendship. They had found common ground and were bonding over their mutual dissatisfaction with Seth, but that had only lasted a few days and the war had been back on. On her more forgiving days, Summer could definitely see herself being friends with Anna. They had just seemed to mesh well. Anna was supportive and encouraging. For her part, Summer could have definitely improved the girl's truly unfortunate fashion sense. It was just not meant to be however. Summer was merciless in pursuing what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to crush those who stood in her way, even if she might have liked them under different circumstances. And there was too much jealousy, insecurity, and doubt whenever Anna was around for the two of them to ever come to an amicable understanding.

Summer just couldn't stand having her around, for so many different reasons. Whenever Anna was around, Summer never had Seth's full attention, which was something that drove her crazy. She was always competing with Anna for who would be first in his life. And then there was the fact that Anna had so much in common with Seth, where she had very little. She always felt like such an outsider, watching Seth and Anna get along fantastically while she sat off to the side and pouted about the fact that she couldn't talk about what they talked about. Comic books? Emo music? Yakuza? Why the fuck would she ever be interested in that crap? Finally, and the one that always ultimately bothered her the most, was that Anna treated Seth the right way, like how he deserved, and that was something Summer had always had trouble getting right. It wasn't that she went out of her way to be purposely mean to him or insult him all the time, she just didn't know how else to act around him. He made her so confused and out of sorts, it was her natural response to attack what frightened her. Why would Seth want to be with somebody who was nothing but a bitch to him? Who abused him and treated him like crap whenever they were together? He could have somebody who actually acted like she cared about him.

So relaxing was completely out of the question. "I finally have a chance to make things right with Cohen and you are telling me to relax? It's obvious why she's here! She wants him!" Okay, so she knew she was starting to sound a little paranoid. She didn't know if that was the real reason why Anna was here, but her fears refused to allow for any other reason. Maybe Marissa was right. Maybe Anna really was only here to be a friend to Seth. But it was Anna and it was Seth and it was Anna and Seth together. How was she supposed to react rationally to that?

Marissa stared at her in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?"

Summer tried to compose herself, tried to reign in her wild and horribly imaginative thoughts. Meekly, she said, "Maybe a little."

Marissa sighed and placed a comforting hand on her arm. "I know that she brings back a lot of bad memories, but they are just friends. I mean, they haven't even seen each other in four years, how much of a relationship could they have?"

"Big deal. I haven't seen Cohen in longer than that and I still can't stop thinking about him."

"Okay, that is a good point." Marissa grinned weakly and squeezed her arm. "Look, I just think Seth is happy to see someone he knows he can trust. You know how Seth feels about Anna."

Yeah, that was the problem! Why didn't Marissa see that? "That's what I'm afraid of, Coop."

Marissa swallowed and removed her hand. She looked like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if it would be the right move. "You do realize that Seth is not exactly yours to begin with."

"No shit, Coop. That's been made abundantly clear to me on many different occasions."

"I'm just saying, maybe you should be sure about how you feel about Seth before you do or say anything." Marissa paused and added, "Your usual 'destroy all those before you' mode can be pretty bad, don't you think you should be sure that this is what you want first?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Summer got off her stool and took a step back, crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

"Are you sure that you aren't just feeling really guilty and ashamed over what happened eight years ago and feel like you have to make it up to him somehow?"

"You think I'm only acting this way because I feel guilty?" What the hell? Marissa knew how she felt about Seth, this was ridiculous. Did Marissa really think she was that selfish, that she'd be more concerned about easing her own feelings of guilt than trying to help Seth? Marissa had just been encouraging her to go after him only a few hours ago. What the hell? Was her best friend suddenly schizo?

Marissa stood up and faced off from Summer, crossing her own arms underneath her breasts. Suddenly the kitchen felt a lot smaller and increasingly hostile. "I'm saying I think you're confused and I don't want you to do anything you'll regret." Marissa bristled, her whole body stiff. "Like, I don't know, going in there and being rude and attacking Anna, which will probably only piss Seth off. Something I think you'd want to avoid."

Summer could feel herself getting angrier by the second. She was not interested in Seth because she felt guilty. That was absurd. "I've always felt this way about Cohen."

"Oh really? When was the last time you even thought about Seth before he came back?"

"I thought about him all the time!"

"Name one time." Marissa glared at her and she felt her body tense up. "If you thought about him so often, it should be easy."

Summer sputtered, trying to come up with something to make Marissa shut up. The truth was, she hadn't thought about Seth in weeks, maybe even months. After she realized he wasn't coming back, she had done her best to put him out of her mind for good. It wasn't healthy to obsess over somebody she would never see again. He would occasionally pop up, usually when she saw something that reminded her of him, or when she was around the Cohen's and they would start talking about him. But other than that, she didn't think about him much. That didn't mean she didn't have real feelings for him, ones not predicated on guilt. Still, she hated that Marissa was even partly right, and hated even more that she began doubting the strength and validity of her feelings once again. "That is not the point!" She knew that was a weak comeback, but Marissa had caught her completely off guard.

Marissa shook her head at her, disappointment evident. "Come on, Summer, you know better than that." Marissa's features softened and she took a step closer to Summer. "I love you and I will always support you, you know that, but you and Seth ended very badly and I know that created a lot of confusion in you. I know that you would have done anything to make it up to him before."

Summer's mouth dropped open and she felt her ears heat up. Now Marissa was doubting everything? "Why are you doing this? Just a while ago you were telling me to ask for a second chance." Summer asked quietly, having to stop herself from crying.

"That was before I saw your reaction to Anna."

"What the hell does she have to do with this?"

"You know how much you hate to lose."

"You think I'm only going crazy because I don't want Anna to win? That is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard." At this point, Summer didn't care much about how angry she sounded or even what she was saying.

"I'm not the one who's acting like a completely irrational jealous girlfriend!" Marissa took a step toward Summer but stopped herself, visibly making an effort to calm herself. She took deep breaths and clenched her hands into fists. "I am trying to help you here, damnit. I don't want you to make things worse by saying or doing something stupid. Maybe you're right, and I'm wrong about doubting your feelings, but god damnit, Sum, you hurt him so much last time that I don't think he could take it again. And as much as he and I have had a strained relationship at times, he means a lot to my family. So that means he's important to me too."

Summer felt like she had been slapped. Marissa had never ever said these kinds of things to her before. Marissa was not supposed to side against her. She was supposed to give her support and help her understand what she was feeling. "Shut up! I would never do that to Cohen again. I was just as devastated as he was over what happened. You know that!"

"Exactly! You did that to him. How do you know that you aren't just reacting to those feelings? How do you know, Sum?"

Summer couldn't answer her, because she didn't know herself. She thought her feelings were genuine. That she hadn't reacted to Seth touching her, or talking to her, because she was wracked with guilt and pity. That she hadn't just broken up with her boyfriend because she was being misled by her feelings. That she wasn't losing her mind for no reason. Just thinking about Anna even cast doubt on everything. Could Marissa be right? She had always been competitive with the girl, how did she know that her suddenly vitriolic reaction wasn't so much jealousy as much as a need to win? Or a desire to just rub Anna's face in the fact that she was simply better? After all, she would have never noticed Seth to begin with if Anna hadn't taken him away from her at Cotillion. Anna was always taking Seth from her and maybe she was only feeling so outraged because she was determined not to let Anna once again take away something that rightfully belonged to her. "I – I don't know."

Marissa nodded her head and looked extremely pleased with herself. "I thought so. You need to be sure before you try anything with Seth. It's the only way things will be fair to him and fair to you. It's the only way both of you won't get hurt."

Seth couldn't believe it. Anna was standing in front of him, a blinding smile on her face. He had never been so relieved to see someone in his life. Finally, he felt like he could relax. No matter what had happened between them, no matter how much time and space was between them, he could always count on Anna, with her sage wisdom and pointed advice. She would always support him, she wouldn't judge him, at least not harshly, she'd tell him what he needed to hear, she'd be perfect like always. If only he had remembered that before.

"I completely forgot you were coming." He blurted out after the initial high of seeing her and hugging her wore off. He blushed and looked away. Just what every person likes to hear. "I would have picked you up from the airport."

Anna smacked him on his arm, a small grin on her lips. "Oh thanks a lot, Seth. Nice to know how much I mean to you."

Seth blushed again but just smiled, so happy that Anna was here. "I'm so glad you're here, Anna." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him as well. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Seth."

Seth grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch. He needed to sit down. Anna was finally here to make everything okay. He plopped down on it clumsily; Anna giggled slightly, and sat beside him. They were both acting so stupidly happy. "There is so much I want to ask you, Seth. So much I need to tell you."

"I know. I want to tell you about everything. Hell, I need to tell you."

Anna nodded as if she completely understood, which knowing her, she probably did. "But wait, there's something I really want to show you first." She held up her hand. "Check it out."

Seth's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. No way. Things had changed a lot since he'd last seen her. "Wow." He didn't know what to say. He just stared at the very prominent ring on her finger. Finally, he grinned huge. "That's so awesome!"

Anna beamed at him, still holding her hand up as if wanting to permanently advertise to the world that she was engaged. "I can't wait until you meet him. He's flying down this weekend. You're going to love him."

"Wait, was he the guy that answered the phone?"

"Oh yeah, Kevin has been pestering me with questions nonstop. He's all like 'So who is this guy that called you out of nowhere and turned you into a crazy woman?'" Anna laughed and finally lowered her hand. "I think he's a little jealous."

Seth smirked and nodded his head. "Did you tell him we're a little too Luke and Leia for it to ever work?"

"I tried to explain the intricacies of our relationship, but I think once I started dipping into my repertoire, his eyes glazed over and I lost him at my second Watchmen reference."

Seth laughed, hard and genuine. "Oh you didn't."

Anna looked innocent and struggled to keep a straight face. "To be honest, I think I kind of just got on a roll and I may have lost even myself for a little bit there."

"Ah yes, the Seth Cohen method of conversation. Talk incessantly until everybody is confused, even yourself."

Anna just nodded her head, smiling. The two became silent, but it was a comfortable silence. Seth knew, much like with everyone else, he would have to talk to Anna about things that had happened, but they had already settled into such a comfortable groove without any real effort that he didn't want to disturb the flow until it was absolutely necessary. At the moment, he just wanted to revel in the feeling of having his friend back. "So is he a good guy?"

Anna said softly, a distant look in her eyes, "Yeah, he's great."

"He treat you right?" Seth found himself becoming more solemn. "He doesn't lie to you?"

Anna's eyes focused on Seth intensely and he fidgeted nervously a little. "He's a good guy, Seth. You can grill him yourself in a few days."

Seth tried to smirk, tried to pass off his worry and apprehension for Anna. He shouldn't let his own issues invade her happiness. "Please, I'll have Ryan give him the Test."

"The Test?" Anna looked skeptical.

Seth grinned stupidly, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, the Test. If this guy can survive the Ryan Atwood Look of Judgment and Intimidation without breaking, I suppose he can marry you." Seth considered what he had just said. "It's like just one of Ryan's many superpowers."

Anna rolled her eyes and pushed Seth on his shoulder. "Oh gee thanks, I'm so glad you're willing to give your permission for me to marry him."

"Well, yeah, of course. I mean, I wouldn't have a problem with him personally, because I am awesome, but you just know how Ryan can be sooo overprotective at times." Seth grinned.

"You're such a dork, Cohen."

Summer knew what she was doing was wrong and stupid and absolutely crazy of her, but she couldn't help herself. Marissa and she had parted ways only a few seconds ago, still fairly pissed off at each other. Marissa had grinded out that she had to drop by Ryan's office to pick up some papers, and left Summer alone in the kitchen, horribly confused. She just didn't know anything anymore. Was Marissa right? Were her feelings real? Did she have any right to get jealous or angry at seeing Seth with another woman? Shouldn't she be happy he was happy? What was wrong with her? So many questions ran through her mind that she had no answers to. That was probably why, especially with no Marissa to stop her, she was hiding behind the wall of the kitchen, her head slightly peeking out and spying on Seth and Anna, laughing and being all sickeningly happy. It made her want to throw up.

"You're such a dork, Cohen."

Oh she didn't just call him that. That was her thing! Summer had passed rationality quite a while ago, now she was just functioning on pure emotion. It was the only solid thing she could latch onto in her extremely jumbled mind. Fear. Anger. Hurt. Love. Hate. They were all there. That Seth seemed more happy in five minutes spent with Anna than he had spent in the entire time with her, only made her even more horribly depressed. Why had she screwed things up so badly? Why was she so focused on her own fears and problems and not happy that Seth finally seemed to be getting back to his old self? Was she really that selfish? If she really cared about Seth, like genuinely, deeply, cared for him, she should be out there encouraging him to be with Anna if that's what he wanted. But she just couldn't do it. She wanted Seth all to herself. She wanted to be the one to help Seth get through everything. She wanted to be the one he came to when he wanted to discuss his fears, what he had been through, what he felt. She wanted to be his emotional rock like he had always been for her. She wanted it all. The last thing she had ever wanted was to share Seth with anybody.

She wasn't even listening to what they said anymore. All she heard were the questions repeating in her head. She heard her own fears and felt her anger and jealousy getting the best of her. Then Seth kissed Anna. He kissed her. On the cheek, but still, he kissed her. That was the last straw. That didn't look like anything close to a friendly kiss. It may have only been a kiss on the cheek, but she knew what that led to. And the pleased look on Anna's face only made it worse.

Now Summer was just pissed. What the hell was he doing? Was he just playing her? Hadn't he just told her not more than two hours ago that he still had feelings for her? Now he was putting the moves on Anna? And what the fuck was Tinkerbell even doing here? Oh right, how convenient that she shows up only a few days after finding out Seth was back. It didn't take her long for her to appear and try to sink her claws back into him. Every single time. Every single goddamn time Summer got close to Seth, Anna was there to throw a wrench into her plans.

Fuck Seth Cohen. Fuck Anna Stern. The curly haired freak could have stupid Anna for all she cared. She was probably better off anyway. To think she had actually considered going down that road again with Seth. That she had actually thought it was a good idea. After everything that had happened between them, after all she had done, he had done, and after having it proved time after time that they were not right for each other, she still hadn't learned.

Not again. She was going to learn her lesson this time. She wasn't going to let Seth change her mind with his stupidly adorable babbling, and stupid curly hair, and stupid beautiful eyes that made her feel funny every time they looked at her. She was going to stop finding his stupid ass hot and sexy and nonsensically irresistible. She had managed to do it once before, she could do it again. And this time she wouldn't have to worry about guilt and shame and affection ruining her resolve. She didn't need him anymore. He was on his own. She was finally free. She didn't have Nick to worry about, didn't have Seth to worry about, she could now do whatever she wanted.

She took one last look at Seth and Anna, sitting so close together there was no space between them, Anna's hand on his arm. Fuck. She needed a drink.

Seth was so nervous he had to stop multiple times on his drive to Summer's house. He would stop by the side of the road, put his head on the steering wheel, take several deep breaths, and then have a drink of water to calm his riotous stomach. Once he felt safely able, he started back up.

He was going to do it. After hours of conversation with Anna, she had helped him see that he'd never be able to sleep at night, let alone finally put Summer behind him, if he didn't at least try to see if there was anything still there with her. He owed himself that much. He figured he owed her that much. She really did seem as if she had changed.

She was a lot mellower than he remembered. He loved it. He had always loved her intensity. It was one of the most charming aspects of her personality. But he liked seeing the softer, kinder side of her. It made him feel special, made him feel that he could trust her and fall in love with her, that she would allow herself to appear vulnerable around him. More than anything, that was what he was looking for most: any indication that she was willing to lower her walls and let him in. She was just plain nicer, she seemed to actually care how he was doing and wanted to help him. She didn't act like she was quite as shallow or cared as much about what others might think. And of course she was still as attractive as ever, if not hotter than he remembered. There was something about the maturity in her eyes and the comfortableness with which she carried herself that was incredibly appealing.

He knew she was dangerous; she always had been. He knew that there was still a very good chance that she would end up hurting him, somehow. But he also knew he had to give her the opportunity to prove that before was a fluke, that they really could work as a relationship. There was a future for them. There was no other reason why, after thinking he had long ago put Summer behind him, that there was still something between them. He shouldn't have any feelings for her left. She had hurt him so badly, had humiliated him and treated him terribly, and yet he still kept coming back. He was a masochist, that much was obvious. But he just had to know.

He pulled up in front of Summer's house. It was still relatively early in the morning. He hadn't seen Summer since she'd left his home rather abruptly the night before. She had been upset and quiet; he had wanted to ask her what was bothering her, but he had been so wrapped up in Anna that he hadn't been able to tear himself away. It was probably for the best. He didn't think he'd be able to let his own walls down enough to actually be of any help to her. And he didn't think a half-assed attempt while he was so confused about her would have been very productive. It was likely to do more harm than good.

Anna had made him see the light. Not that she was pleased he was considering giving Summer another chance. Far from it actually. Anna didn't like Summer. Anna would have been perfectly content with Summer disappearing from his life forever. But Anna also understood the importance that Summer held in his life, and she understood, probably better than he did, what Summer meant to him. She hated that he was going back to Summer, but she also saw it was pointless to argue the topic further. So Anna had decided to help him, to talk through all the issues he had, all his fears, all his hate he still felt. That was why he loved Anna, she was simply a great friend. He knew he could always count on her to put him straight and impart her desperately needed wisdom.

Seth turned off the car and took several deep breaths. He could do this. She wasn't the same person. She was different. She would accept him this time. The mantra was comforting and helped boost his courage. He opened the door and began walking up to Summer's front door.

This house brought back so many memories, many far too bad to actually remember. Some good ones too, but so many bad ones. Hopefully, he'd be able to replace those old memories with newer and better ones. He knocked on the front door. He looked down at himself as he waited, straightening his clothes, smoothing his hands along his thighs. He ran a quick hand through his hair, and ran his tongue along his lips. Jesus, he was nervous.

Nobody came so he rang the doorbell. He suddenly became afraid that Summer would be so pissed at him interrupting her sleep that she would just tell him to go to hell. He didn't think he'd be able to take another outright rejection from her, even if he didn't exactly have the best timing.

Still nobody. He rang the bell again and knocked. He was just about ready to leave. It was a bad time. She didn't want to talk to him. He was a loser and what could she possibly see in him? He had too many issues, he was broken, emotionally distant, a freak. There was no way they'd ever work, she was way too good for him. She deserved better, always had, always would.

The door opened. It was not Summer. A man, about his height, with short black hair and a solid build, opened the door wearing a bathrobe. Seth had never seen him before. "Uh, hello. Is Summer here?" Maybe he had gotten the wrong house? But no, he had just left it this morning.

The man smiled good naturedly. "She's still asleep, I think."

Seth had no idea what to do. Who was this guy? Why was he dressed like he just got out of bed? How did he know Summer was still asleep? What the hell was going on!? "Uh, well, okay. I guess I'll come back some other time then."

"Maybe you'd like to leave a message? I could give it to her when she wakes up."

"Right. A message." Did he want to leave a message? Did he even want Summer to know that he'd been here and met her – he didn't know who the guy was. "Could you just tell her Seth stopped by?" The man looked nodded hesitantly, probably wondering why some stranger was coming by to see Summer. "I'm an old, uh, friend from high school and only in town for a few days. I just thought maybe we could catch up. I'm sorry for disturbing you so early."

The man grinned, leaned against the doorframe. "It's all right, I didn't get much sleep last night anyway. I was already up."

Seth felt his stomach drop and he had to reach out to steady himself against the side of the house. "You two are t-together?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, a slightly bemused expression on his face. "Who knows, man. One day she is breaking up with me, the next she is calling me up and telling me she was just scared and wants to get back together." Then the man leans slightly forward, his voice lowered, and an indefinable gleam in his eye. "I swear, sometimes she confuses the hell out of me. She was very demanding and insistent last night, but usually she acts like she couldn't give a damn." He was talking to Seth like they were old buddies, sharing a beer during the game. Seth felt even sicker. "Tell me something, was she like this when you knew her?"

"Yeah." It was all Seth could really say. He figured the guy was Nick, Summer's supposed ex-boyfriend. The one she had told him she'd ended things with. The one she told him she couldn't be with anymore because her feelings for him were too strong to ignore. Obviously, she was just lying. What a shock. Summer had been lying to him ever since he'd known her. "It sounds like she's worse now."

Nick nodded, still faintly smiling. He grabbed the edge of the door with one hand. "So I'll tell her you stopped by."

"Actually, could you tell her something else for me?" Nick nodded his head. "Tell her I found my answer." Nick looked confused but nodded his head again. "Thanks."

Seth turned around and started to walk back to his car. He stopped, and turned to look over his shoulder. Nick was still watching him go. "By the way, you seem like a nice enough guy, so listen to what I have to say." Nick looked confused but Seth saw he had his complete attention. "Get out now. Don't wait, don't think you can change her, because you can't. She'll always be this way. Get out now and don't fall in love with her, because once you do, you'll never be the same again. Just run." Seth straightened his head, not bothering to see what effect his words had and got inside his car.

Already he could feel his brain begin to compartmentalize his feelings and emotions. He was locking them away, hopefully permanently this time. All that was left was an intense anger. She had done it to him again.

He had no idea why he was surprised.